Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is full of hearty seasonal vegetables and wild rice (plus chicken, if you would like), it’s wonderfully creamy and comforting, and easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop.

For those days when you’re craving a cozy, creamy, comforting bowl of soup…I have the perfect new recipe for you.

It’s a riff on the classic chicken and wild rice soup of my childhood. But in lieu of the chicken (which you’re still welcome to add if you’d like), I’ve loaded this soup up instead with lots and lots of seasonal veggies. And added in some bolder savory seasonings. And lightened it up a bit by using milk instead of heavy cream. And the result?

Plus, more good news! It’s easy to make in either the Instant Pot (pressure cooker), Crock-Pot (slow cooker), or on the stovetop — your choice. And you can adapt the recipe to be gluten-free and/or vegan, if you prefer. Options, options. So if you’re ready to cozy up with a warm bowl of soup yourself, load up a shopping bag full of veggies and wild rice, and let’s make some together.

COZY AUTUMN WILD RICE SOUP RECIPE | 1-MINUTE VIDEO

Wild Rice Soup Ingredients:

To make this Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup recipe, you will need:

Wild Rice: I used and loved 100% wild rice(affiliate link) in this recipe, not a wild rice blend.

Vegetable Stock: Or chicken stock, whatever you happen to have on hand.

The “Bays”: Old Bay seasoning plus a bay leaf, to season our soup. (Or see ideas below on different seasoning ideas.)

The Cream Sauce: Made from butter, flour and milk, which we will mix up at the end of the cooking time. Or see options below for a gluten-free and/or vegan alternative.

Kale: I also added in lots of fresh kale at the end, or you could sub in baby spinach or collard greens.

Salt & Pepper: Don’t forget ’em!

How To Make Wild Rice Soup:

I have included detailed instructions below for how to make this wild rice soup recipe either in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker), Crock-Pot (slow cooker), or on the stovetop. But here are the basics. ;)

Cook the base of the soup: Whichever cooking method you choose, we will simmer the base soup ingredients (veggies, rice, broth, seasonings) until the rice is cooked and tender.

Make your cream sauce: Then during the last 10 minutes that the soup is cooking, prepare your cream sauce in a separate saucepan. Melt the butter, whisk in the flour, then stir in the milk and cook — stirring frequently so that the bottom does not burn — until thickened. The sauce should be very thick. (Or skip this whole step and add in a can of coconut milk instead, which is vegan and also incredibly delicious in this recipe.)

Add in the cream sauce and kale: And stir to combine. Then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. And…

Serve warm: Preferably with a nice hunk of crusty bread, or some oyster crackers, or whatever sounds good. :)

Possible Variations:

Want to mix things up a bit? Feel free to:

Add chicken: You can either add pre-cooked/shredded chicken. Or add a chicken breast (or two) to the pot and let it cook along with the rice and veggies, then remove and shred it once it has cooked through.

Add more veggies: There are so many other veggies that would be great in this soup too, like cauliflower, butternut squash, parsnips, bell peppers…whatever sounds good!

Use a different seasoning: If Old Bay seasoning isn’t your fave, feel free to use any other blends that you like, such as:

Make it gluten-free: Feel free to use the vegan option below (it’s delicious!). Or skip the roux (the butter/flour step) for the cream sauce, and just whisk 1.5 tablespoons gluten-free cornstarch into a saucepan of cold milk. Heat the milk until it just barely reaches a simmer, whisking frequently, and the milk will thicken up. Then add it to the soup. As always, be sure to check that all of your other ingredients are certified gluten-free.

Make it vegan: Skip the cream sauce altogether and add in 1 (15-ounce) can of full-fat coconut milk instead. To be honest, I love the coconut milk version even more than the dairy!

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method:

Cover and set vent to “sealing”. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes. Let the Instant Pot rest there for an extra 10 minutes (natural release). Then carefully turn the vent to “venting” and release the remaining pressure (quick release). Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes of pressure cooking, prepare your cream sauce on the stove. In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add in the milk, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture nearly comes to a simmer and has thickened. (It should be very thick.)

Add the cream sauce and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.

Serve warm. Or transfer to sealed container(s) and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Crock-Pot (Slow Cooker) Method:

Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours, until the rice is cooked and tender.

Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes of slow cooking, prepare your cream sauce on the stove. In a medium saucepan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add in the milk, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture nearly comes to a simmer and has thickened. (It should be very thick.)

Add the cream sauce and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.

Serve warm. Or transfer to sealed container(s) and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Stovetop Method:

Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.

Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes, prepare your cream sauce in a separate saucepan on the stove. In it, cook the butter over medium-high heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until combined, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add in the milk, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture nearly comes to a simmer and has thickened. (It should be very thick.)

Add the cream sauce and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.

Serve warm. Or transfer to sealed container(s) and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Notes

*As mentioned above, if you would like to skip making the cream sauce (butter, flour, milk), feel free to just add in a can of full-fat coconut milk instead. It’s dairy-free and vegan, and absolutely delicious in this recipe!

*I used 100% wild rice (not a blend), which I love and recommend for this soup. Cooking time may vary if you use a wild rice blend.

*Recipe edited from the original to make the milk/butter roux slightly less thick, per reader requests. Enjoy!

I had seen this recipe a few times in my feed but for some reason I felt intimidated, by soup no less! But I gave it a go and oh. My. Gawd. Deeeee-lish!! Even my picky teenager enjoyed it. It’s a crowd pleaser and palate teaser. I’m definetly making this one again and again.

I made this for Christmas following the recipe with no substitutions. I used vegetable broth and the soup was so so good. I think I’ll use less than a full cup of wild rice next time…maybe 3/4 cup but same amount of broth.

I made this soup for dinner tonight and it was a hit!!! Easy to make and full of so much flavor. I’m a vegetarian but my meat eating parents didn’t miss the chicken one bit! Highly recommend!! Did this on the stovetop.

This soup was easy and amazing! Also, I had never had sweet potatoes in soup, but I loved it! I had a little trouble with the sweet potatoes becoming too soft because the wild rice I used took a little longer to cook. Next time, I would just add the sweet potatoes a little later in the cooking process.

Love this. I do tweak it a little, though. The first time, I made it to recipe, but added cream instead of making a roux, and I added leftover Thanksgiving Turkey. Tonight, I added mostly chicken broth, and about 2 cups of vegetable broth bc that’s what I had on hand. I added spicy sausage and leftover rotisserie chicken. I also add only about 1 T of Old Bay. Excellent recipe and such a flexible base to start from.

Thank you so much for this recipe! I have enjoyed this soup in restaurants and wanted to make my own using the crockpot and leftover chicken – and it used up chicken broth, carrots and onions I had from the holidays! (I hate wasting ingredients) I did not have the sweet potato or kale, but just added in more rice and a full-sized yellow onion. Originally, I was going to use just heavy cream instead of making the cream sauce but decided at the last minute to use your version and glad I did because I think the butter added more flavor (I did add about 1/8 c of cream at the end just to add color contrast). I also didn’t have Old Bay seasoning but added a lot of salt and pepper until the taste was right. This was a new recipe for my boyfriend, and he said it was delicious. Can’t wait to have the leftovers.

I just made this and will definitely make it again! Although it was WAY too spicy for us, so will omit that next time. Will try the coconut next time as well, instead of the milk combo. I also used 1/2 spinach & 1/2 kale. One more thing, I used the full blown, real wild rice, and cooked it for an hour separately. The flavor is worth the price I paid for it. Very good!

The first day of 2019 and I couldn’t think of anything better to do than make this awesome so so delicious soup. I made it in an instant pot I received for Christmas. It turned out so very good. It’s definitely a keeper!
Thanks for posting it. 😀

I made this tonight in the slow cooker, and it was delicious! I added the turmeric and some cumin, and used a wild rice spice pack rather than the Old Bay. I also opted for the coconut milk at the end. Easy, hearty, and healthy. Next time, I might add some sausage for a protein. I’ll definitely make this again!

Loved this! I’m mostly eat a whole foods plant-based diet so instead of the milk and flour, I pureed cannellini beans and steamed cauliflower to mimic your recipe’s creaminess. It was delicious. Thanks for the inspiration!

I would either leave out the rice or use something like barley or such that will stand up to the long simmer and not get mushy. I tried using white rice once and I even tried brown rice once but it got way too mushy and starchy.

This soup is the BOMB. Made it to a T EXCEPT I only had a wild rice blend, plus I added two chicken breasts to the instant pot with the veg, rice, stock, etc. Came out beautifully! Actually I was pretty impatient and quick released the pressure after the 25min cook, stirred in the kale and roux… tastiest, prettiest soup I’ve ever made! AND I didn’t need to add any salt or pepper after. Plenty of seasoning from the stock and bays :)

Exactly as described – delicious! Perfect cold weather soup – tasty & satisfying! Made on stovetop with veggie broth. Only change I made was to chop (instead of dice) the sweet potato for slightly larger chunks that don’t get mushy. Next time I might lesson the bay seasoning to 1 tbsp. though my husband thought it was perfect. Can’t wait for the next bowl!

My daughter made this for us last night, exactly according to the recipe, and we all thought it was the best soup we’d ever eaten. And–bonus–it made the house smelled amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this!

I made this for my family, including my 5-year-old daughter, tonight and it was by far one of the best soup so that I’ve ever made. (And I’ve been cooking for more than twenty years and have made a lot of soups.)

As with any purist, I followed the recipe (stove top approach) exactly with one small exception in that I used a mixed wild rice blend versus straight wild rice. Used chicken broth but no chicken. The cooking times herein are accurate and the quantities are spot on. This gem of a recipe will become a permanent fixture in my repertoire of recipes. Going forward, I’d probably add another few handfuls of kale, but the recipe as is I sure perfect. Thank you for this!

This is the first recipe I cooked in my Insta Pot. I used my own homemade chicken broth instead of vegetable stock and added chicken. I also made it gluten free using rice flour for the cream sauce and also used half n half instead of milk. It’s thick, rich and absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!

This was so delicious and satisfying! I used thyme and parsley instead of Old Bay and I used coconut milk for the cream sauce. The wild rice adds such a great flavor. So many possible variations, can’t wait to make it again!

I made the autumn wild rice soup for the first time today. It was delicious. My husband who is a canivore loved it. It was rich, thick and very flavorful. I will absolutely make this recipe again. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I made it in my instant pot.

The soup tasted great, but I would absolutely never again cook the vegetables as long as the rice is in. Veggies were tender much earlier than the rice and by the time the rice was done the veggies were mush. Super flavorful just cook the veggies later than the rice.

I’d love to make this soup in my crockpot, but it would be helpful to get specifics on the size. A large crockpot is a really relative term. Can you tell me if this will fit in my 4 quart crockpot? Or more like a 6 quart?